Wow! What an afternoon at the World Championship!
The Team Unicorn duo of Adrian Lewis and Terry Jenkins stormed into the quarter-finals with brilliant performances at the Ally Pally!
And Gary Anderson laid down another marker with a 108 average in reaching the last eight.
Jenkins’ 4-0 demolition of Mark Walsh was his best TV performance for well over a year and he is now in the World Championship quarter-finals for only the second time in his career.
Lewis was simply sensational!
He blew Robert Thornton away in 50 magical minutes of darts to take his place in the quarter-finals and surely he has also done enough to secure a prized place in the 2011 Premier League.
It will be Lewis’ 4th World Championship quarter-final and on this form, he is a potential winner.
An average of 101, nine 180s and a performance that simply oozed class….Thornton never stood a chance with Lewis in that mood.
The Scot fought hard to win the one set he did, but Lewis was never going to lose the match.
“I hit the big shots at the right time,” he said. “I was up for the game and focused. I believe a lot more in myself, especially after that win over Phil Taylor at the World Grand Prix.”
“I must use that victory as a turning point in my career,” he added. “I know I have to win a big tournament and they don’t come any bigger than this one!”
Lewis was out of the traps, as he won six straight legs, including a 167 finish, to establish a two set advantage in 15 minutes flat!
Give Thornton some credit, because with Lewis sat waiting on D12, he won a deciding leg with a 72 finish to take the third set…..but it was only delaying the inevitable.
The fourth set was a belter!
Lewis hit two 11-darters and just missed D12 for a 144 check-out for the second time in the match. The Scot took out 101 to force another deciding leg…..the Unicorn star hit a 7th maximum and took it on D11.
That broke Thornton’s spirit and Lewis raced to victory winning three straight legs with two 12 darters, a ninth 180 and he hit his favourite ‘tops’ to clinch a very impressive victory.
He really was that good! He will now take on either Simon Whitlock or Vincent van der Voort in New Years Day’s quarter-finals.
Jenkins had a broad smile after trouncing Walsh and so he should! A 99 average, seven 180s and he lost only four legs in the match.
The first two sets were close, both going to deciding legs. Walsh missed his chances and Jenkins didn’t and a fourth maximum helped the Unicorn man to win that 2nd set decider and you could see it was a massive body blow to his opponent.
In fact, Walsh never recovered.
A 120 finish and another maximum took him to a three set advantage and he won the match in style….first an 11 darter to break the throw, then Jenkins hit six perfect darts in the next leg and he won it on D10.
It was great to watch.
“I am playing as well as I have for a while,” he said. “I have prepared a lot better for the tournament this year and the draw is looking good, but I can only beat who is in front of me. So, let’s look forward to New Year’s Eve and see what happens.”
It could be an all Unicorn quarter-final against Wes Newton, if he can dispatch James Wade’s conqueror Mensur Suljovic…..also on Thursday night, the Unicorn duo of Raymond van Barneveld and Colin Osborne square up for a place in those quarter-finals against Gary Anderson.
The Scot was in blistering form, with an average 108.39 in his 4-0 thrashing of Andy Smith. ‘The Pie Man didn’t stand a chance.
Anderson hit 10x180s and the match only lasted 16 legs!
Thursday afternoon 3rd Round results:
Adrian Lewis 4-1 Robert Thornton
Andy Smith 0-4 Gary Anderson
Terry Jenkins 4-0 Mark Walsh
Thursday night 3rd Round schedule:
Simon Whitlock v Vincent van der Voort
Raymond van Barneveld v Colin Osborne
Mensur Suljovic v Wes Newton
By STUART PYKE at the Alexandra Palace
Photos courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC